Ora-00972 identifier is too long alias column name

Why Oracle says "size does matter"

This 30-character limit isn't Oracle being difficult, but a built-in guardrail in earlier versions of the database to maintain manageability.

Curse of verbosity

Lengthy identifiers lead to complexity and ambiguity. Keeping them short encourages readability and ensures alignment with older Oracle versions, which have stricter limitations.

Character limit vs byte limit

From Oracle 12.2 onwards, the scenario changes. Identifier length is calculated in bytes, not characters. With UTF-8 and other multi-byte encodings, a single character could consume multiple bytes!

Hibernate meets Oracle: The character clash

In Springboot apps, if you're using Hibernate, you may come face-to-face with ORA-00972 due to the default naming strategies that generate long SQL identifiers.

Override the default strategy

Tweak your application.yml to establish a short identifier-friendly environment:

spring:
  jpa:
    hibernate:
      naming:
        physical-strategy: org.hibernate.boot.model.naming.PhysicalNamingStrategyStandardImpl  -- Less chatter, more action!
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Review the SQL

Keep an eye on the Hibernate-generated SQL for long aliases and apply fixes as required.

Defensive programming: Avoid ORA-00972

Alter your application's naming strategy to pre-empt lengthy alias issues.

Stick to short, meaningful names

A peculiar identifier can turn from a "clever trick" to "unmaintainable mess". Stick to consistent, short, and intuitive naming schemes.

Expect chaos, engineer order

Prepare for edge cases by understanding the limitations of your environment. Maintain detailed documentation of your naming decisions.

Pro tips to keep ORA-00972 at bay

Efficient abbreviations, beautifully cryptic

Abbreviations can shorten your aliases while preserving semantic value. But, ensure your code doesn't turn into an infuriating cryptogram.

A stitch in time saves nine

Set up a system in your CI/CD pipeline to alert you about potential violations of the identifier length limit in your code.

Look ahead, save expenses

Think about potential expansions of your database structure. Code that is comfortable under current limitations might choke when stretched.

Oracle says: "KISS - Keep it Short & Sweet!"

Oracle DB: "One alias, max 30 chars, now condense your philosophy folks!" ✏️ Neat Alias: "Tiny_Alias" 🚫 Wonky Alias: "This_Alias_Is_Way_Too_Long_And_Wont_Work_In_Oracle_For_Sure!"

Shorten your column aliases to meet Oracle's character limit.

What else can trip me up?

Quoting traps

Double-check your quote usage in SQL identifiers. Misplaced or incorrect ones can unexpectedly spark the ORA-00972 error.

SELECT column_name AS "alias" FROM table_name; -- Note the double quotes, SQL loves them!
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Dancing with older versions

Working with older instances of Oracle which haven't had the 12.2 update? You'll need to take a fine-tooth comb to your SQL scripts and excise any long identifiers lurking there.